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WoW OT
The WoW Off-Topic, commonly referred to simply as "The OT" or "The WoW OT", is a section of the official World of Warcraft discussion forums that is designated for non-WoW-related topics. Often known for its tight communities and zany antics, the OT has been the birth place of many spin-off forums such as Flanker's OT, the TLDR, and the OTR. Community Over the course of several months, close-knit cliques of friends form communities on the OT and then are driven out to create their own independent forums as new, unfamiliar members flood the OT. After an OT Exodus occurs, the new non-clique members are left behind to form a new community, which inevitably begins the cycle all over again. This cycle was most prevalent during Fangtooth's tenure as moderator due to his slack regulations, which contributed to OT becoming a fast-paced sandbox environment. It has since been severely slowed, first when Coreiel took over as moderator because of her establishment of strict rules, and partly due to the stagnation in World of Warcraft's community and changes in its popularity. Internet memes of all types have been pervasive on the OT since the very beginning. Before Coreiel's anti-political and religion discussion rule, the OT was a troll haven. The ease with which one could blend in, the apparent gullibility of OT members, and the high amount of activity created an ideal environment for trolls to create inflammatory, lengthy threads. The OT has also been the foremost forum for WoW players to discuss other games. History The OT has existed as long as there have been World of Warcraft forums, dating back years before World of Warcraft was released in November of 2004. Although specifics of its early years have mostly been forgotten, it is generally accepted that Clan Seks, a Warcraft III clan, was the earliest dominant force on the OT up until the release of World of Warcraft and for several months afterward. The moderator for the first year after World of Warcraft's release, Fangtooth was known for his lack of intervention and barely any rules, which gave OT its wacky, fun reputation. During this time, Clan Seks's influence faded and was replaced by the first group of genuine WoW players to form a clique. These players went on to found their own forum, Flanker's OT, in Spring of 2005. The next group established the TLDR by early July of that year and the OTR followed soon afterward. During Fangtooth's reign, raids by OTers on other sections of the WoW forums--mostly the RP forum--were common, as well as some raids on forums elsewhere on the internet. Near the end of 2005, Fangtooth vanished and was replaced by Coreiel, who established a series of rules, many of which were contrary to the very nature of the OT, leading to massive dissent and the resulting permabanning of an untold number of members. This event is commonly referred to as the OT Holocaust, which marked the end of what most pre-Coreiel OTers think of as the true OT. Since Coreiel's takeover, the OT has seen the birth of three OT spin-offs: MIM, TIAC, and the FreeOT. Coreiel herself left in 2007, leaving the OT to be overseen by a series of Blizzard moderators who have little contact with OTers. The OT continued to serve as a fun escape for members of the World of Warcraft community... ...Until the World of Warcraft community site's closure and transfer to Battle.net. Blizzard Entertainment refused to include an Off-Topic section in the new forums, leaving its former posters to scatter amongst various websites, both new and old, one of which seemed most popular as the OT neared its final hour was 16bitwalrus. The forums remained read-only for 12 days, from November 18, to its final end on November 30, 2010. During the final hours of the OT, some older and famous OTers surfaced, reminiscing, creating threads or posts that would lead them to bans, and stating they would be there during the final stand. Many posts were deleted during the read-only state, and the Off-Topic section was left to be deleted, its first page remaining untouched by "Goodbye Threads", an image of its former self. External Links *The WoW Off-Topic *The OT Posters List! by Ssraistlin Category:Internet Forums